Nuru Waziri, the Plateau State governorship candidate of Labour Party, on Monday, demanded N1bn as reimbursement from the Federal Government to each registered political party for the postponement of the 2019 general elections, Punch Metro reports.
Waziri, who spoke to journalists in Jos, said the failure of the Federal Government to reimburse all the parties would mean that the postponement was done to “break” the smaller political parties and their candidates.
According to him, the reimbursement will enable the parties to take care of loans obtained to ensure a successful election.
The LP candidate said, “In my capacity as a governorship candidate of LP in Plateau State, I suggest two penalties for the postponement.
“Firstly, I believe the postponement is caused by incompetence, negligence or compromise. Either way, the INEC staff involved must be identified, sacked and prosecuted.
“Secondly, candidates, most of whom collected loans with interest have suffered great losses and are now in a dilemma. Therefore, I suggest the Federal Government, in the spirit of fair play, should reimburse all registered political parties with the sum of N1bn each to ensure a successful election.”
Waziri said the postponement of elections may discourage voters from keeping faith with the electoral process and inherently give the bigger parties more opportunity to rig the elections at will.
He added that, henceforth, decisions should be taken in consideration of its effects on Nigerians.